Is speeding through construction zones OK now? Is it fashionable? Commuting's new black?

Travelling through highway construction zones has become a routine part of life, especially in the West Island. But does routine mean it’s now OK to completely ignore the reduced speed limits along these stretches of expressways?

I ask the question because all evidence supports that speeding is fashionable in construction zones; it’s commuting’s stylish new thing; driving’s new black.

If you doubt it, drive along Highway 40 between St-Charles Blvd. and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue. The bright orange lines and the jersey dividers – not to mention the battalion of heavy machinery on the site – make it clear that you are driving through a construction zone. And, of course, there are those orange speed-limit signs that alert drivers to the fact that the limit is 70 km/hr. But no one – absolutely no one – is driving less than 80. And even when you are doing 80, there is always someone right on your rear bumper giving you that “what’s wrong with you” look.

Everyone is in a rush. I get that. But really? We can’t dial it back a bit?

No one seems to even be deterred any more by the signs warning of radar cameras. The mobile radar unit that was parked on the eastbound side of Highway 40 in Vaudreuil along the construction zone west of the Ile aux Tourtes Bridge was an effective deterrent. It kept everyone in check. But it hasn’t been there for quite a while, as now, the 80km/hr limit there is ignored routinely, too.

Left unsupervised we can’t control our urge to speed. Is that it?

I wanted to test the reaction of drivers. I drove through the construction zone at 70, and was amazed at two things.

Everyone was passing me.

And 2. I was entertained by how some drivers who felt the need to send me a message, like I was the one committing some sort of horrible infraction. The fact they had to hit the brakes did not serve to remind them that maybe they were the ones at fault. If only you could bottle this kind of irony and sell it for profit.

It’s sad, really, that we are so undisciplined. But then again, maybe accidents and injuries only happen to other people, not us, any of us. You tell me. Because I just don’t get it. And it’s not that I don’t speed on the occasion. Sometimes you are in a rush. But not always.

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Is speeding through construction zones OK now? Is it fashionable? Commuting's new black?